Mesh? Color Block? Bodycon? Count me in!

Funny story--one of my tires EXPLODED on 295-S about one hour before I took these pictures. I had to call roadside assistance and everything. I look quite composed, aye?


I bought this dress on Forever 21's website after seeing it on Pinterest. And get this--Nicki Minaj wore this dress to a Good Morning America interview.

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I couldn't believe I was about to purchase something I'd seen on Nicki Minaj, but the dress was amazing! Bold, bright colors? Check. Mesh panels? Check. Bodycon? I mean, really--need I say more? I had to have it.


Dress :: Forever 21
Platform/Architectural Wedge Heels :: Fly Jane
Carryall (not shown) :: Coach

Hair :: Straightened, curled with flat iron

♡Koos

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I WAS ON REFINERY29 YESTERDAY...

...and I didn't even know it! LOL.

Thanks to the folks at Refinery29 for showcasing this little blog! I guess it was a good idea to expand 

The Feisty House into "lifestyle blog" territory!

♡Koos

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First length check of 2012!

Although I've straightened my hair a few times this year, I haven't done an official length check, mostly due to laziness. But last week I straightened and realized I'd better document all the progress I've made because (1) the nape of my hair is clearly at BSL and (2) this is probably the longest my hair has ever been!







The pictures below (from this post) were taken in October 2010. This was the longest my hair had ever been. I'm a little bit past where I was then, which means I'm on my way to a new milestone in my length retention!

I'm waiting for the front and middle of my hair to catch up to the back. At that point I may get layers again. I don't foresee straightening my hair anytime in the near future. Summer is quickly approaching, and we've had some rainy weather. Once I'm ready to wash my hair again, I'll clip my ends, do a henna treatment, and then work on getting my highlights! My bf's not a fan, but at the end of the day, I'll go back to black in the Fall. I'm sure he can live with the color until then.

Or we'll break up. No big deal.

♡Koos

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Candied Popcorn!

So as you all know by now, I was in NYC for Easter Weekend. I made a special treat for my boyfriend and I to share. It was THE BEST popcorn I've ever had! And no, I've never been to Garret's in Chicago, so I suppose after I try their flavors I may have a different opinion...until then, my popcorn is pretty amazing.

What you'll need:
16 oz white chocolate (I used Godiva's white chocolate. You can also use almond bark)
1 cup finely crushed peppermints (I crushed 40 Starlight mints. You can also use 10-12 candy canes)
4 quarts popped popcorn (almost 2 bags of Orville Redenbacher's Tender White)
Parchment paper (or non-stick aluminum foil)

Now I'm no chef, and I don't have a kitchen large enough for plenty of appliances, so I don't have a food processor or other fancy schmancy things, but if you do have a food processor, you can definitely use it to crush the mints/candy canes. Instead, I but the mints into a Ziploc bag, but that bag into a larger Ziploc bag, and then went outside to my sidewalk. I literally pulverized the mints with a hammer until they had the consistency of sand. It took quite a while, and my neighbors were giving me the side eye, but I got it done, right?

Once the mints are all crushed up, pop the popcorn. The Tender White is really a good choice. You don't want to use butter, because the fake butter taste will interfere with the chocolate and mint. Tender White has just enough salt that it's a good balance to the sweetness from the candy. I used about 1 3/4 fully-popped bags of popcorn for this recipe.

Melting the chocolate is easiest in the microwave. Melt it like 45 seconds at a time, stir, then put in again for 30 seconds, stir, then 15, stir, etc. You want to make sure you melt it enough to be creamy and without lumps (which is why it is important to stir), but you don't want to nuke it to the point of burning.

You can also use a double boiler to melt the chocolate, but be careful not to get any water into the chocolate. It will "seize" up and burn, and turn into a brown, crumbly mess (yes, I'm speaking from experience). Needless to say I just used the microwave.

Once the chocolate is melted, stir in half of the crushed mints. Pour the popcorn into a large bowl (I used a large pot) and then pour the chocolate-mint mixture on top of the popcorn. Stir until each kernel is well-coated with chocolate.

Tear a large piece of parchment paper and spread the popcorn out on top of the parchment paper. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of crushed mints on top of the popcorn. Keep the popcorn out on the parchment paper until it has hardened and isn't "melty."

You're all done! Trust me, it is some of the best stuff ever. I'm not even exaggerating. If you love chocolate and popcorn, this is a really great treat to try. And it makes more than enough to share, which is the best part =)

♡Koos

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The List :: Make 30 new meals

#3. Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast

So as I've mentioned before, I've decided to expand The Feisty House into my "lifestyle" blog rather than a blog that focuses solely on hair and fashion. (1) It takes a lot of effort to update two blogs, and (2) My life is so much more than what I wear! In doing so, I've rolled my 30 Before 30 blog into The Feisty House. Hopefully you all enjoy the new posts!

One of the items on my 30 Before 30 List is to "Make 30 new meals." Successfully. As in I'd want to use the recipe over and over. So far I've had two such successes, both of which include spinach: Honey Mustard Tilapia and this new recipe ^___^

I have quite a few recipes pinned to my Top Chef board on Pinterest. One of the first recipes I ever pinned was chicken rollatini stuffed with mozzarella and zucchini. I happen to detest zucchini, so I've been searching for easy stuffed chicken recipes that substitute other vegetables. I found a really easy recipe for Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast the other day and tried it out on Wednesday with a few modifications (I added sun dried tomatoes and brown sugar). It's sooooooo good!

What you'll need:

2 chicken breasts sliced in halves (lengthwise) or 4 chicken breasts pounded until thin

1 TBSP minced garlic (you can use more or less to suit your taste)

2 TBSP olive oil

1 (16oz) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/4 cup diced sun dried tomatoes (you can use more or less to suit your taste)

1 cup feta cheese (I used a little more than a cup...I love cheese!)

1 TBSP brown sugar

2 cups seasoned bread crumbs (optional) 

1/2 cup butter

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Brights in Central Park

As I'm sure you've gathered from reading this blog, I was raised Seventh-day Adventist, and while I don't necessarily associate myself with any denomination now, I'm still an avid Sabbath-keeper. My parents didn't attend church regularly until I was in middle school. Before then, we spent our Sabbaths outdoors, really taking in God's creation, which is the whole point of the day: to commune with God, rest with Him, and reflect on the wonderful world He has made, including you and me (Sabbath is the best day for community service).

I was in New York for Easter/Resurrection Weekend and spent Saturday in Central Park. It was bright and sunny, but VERY windy and kinda chilly. I wore this neon green sweater and paired it with yellow jeans. I kept it long-walk-friendly in loafers.




Jacket :: Target (old)
Sweater :: River Island
Yellow jeans :: Forever21 (old)
Loafers :: Coach (old)

Hair :: 5 flat-twists twistout

Do you keep Sabbath? What are some of the things you like to do to make it special?

♡Koos

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Easter Mint

I had planned to wear this exquisite mint sheath dress from H&M to church on Easter Sunday, but the church was so packed that they turned Q and I away! I was really disappointed =/ I really love celebrating Easter/Resurrection Weekend. We ended up taking a walk instead (and of course I had to stop and shoot the flowers). At any rate, I did get to wear this dress to church on the Sabbath after my birthday and paired it with my coral slingbacks a la Corinne Bailey Rae below.

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The first time I saw this dress was on Jean from Extra Petite. Like her, I don't have a lot of height, and a lot of dresses are much too long for my 5' frame. She bought the dress with the intentions of altering it, so I went to H&M (with a 20% coupon) to see whether or not the dress would work for me. I'm so happy I did! I'm a little thicker than Jean is, so I didn't need to get any major alterations done (just shortened the hem). The dress fits beautifully! And the minty green color? Perfection.


Pastel trench :: H&M
Dress :: H&M
Clutch :: H&M
Nude platforms :: 2020AVE

Hair :: Flat twist-out in bun

♡Koos

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Have a Good Friday, Happy Sabbath, and Blessed Resurrection Day!

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Aussie Moist: why hadn't I tried this before?

I must be the only natural blogger on the planet who hasn't blogged about Aussie Moist Conditioner or tried it at some point in her natural hair journey. I'd run out of my cheapie VO5 conditioner and they didn't have any at Target (none). As I started to panic, a large bottle of Aussie Moist caught my eye. I have a friend who SWEARS by this stuff, and I've read rave reviews on all sorts of blogs and forums, so I decided to give it a try.

I am officially hooked. This is hands-down the BEST cowash conditioner I have EVER used. EVER. IN LIFE. EVER. Kinky Curly Knot Today doesn't even come close to Aussie Moist in terms of slip. And while the VO5 is a great cheapie version, it doesn't leave my hair as soft as Aussie Moist. I can't tell you how wonderful my hair felt after using it! It was absolute perfection! Detangling is a breeze and I don't even feel like I need to deep condition when I'm done. Now that's amazing.

I am cowashing and Curlforming my hair tonight. I seriously cannot wait to get my tresses treated to their Aussie Moist bath!

♡Koos

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Mixed Metals

I've been working on my "Lucky Dozen," but it's soooo much harder than I expected it would be! I literally have way too much stuff. There's no need for me to shop between now and Fall. NONE. I have way too many options! Like today's outfit: I pulled it together from stuff I've had for a while and some stuff I bought recently. This gold blouse, first seen here, is so versatile! This mustard skirt is such a classic shape, I could wear it with anything. And the silver cardigan's gold buttons play nicely with the shiny, lurex thread in the blouse.





My office has done the Spring landscaping. I couldn't help but get out and take some pictures. Flowers are definitely my favorite thing to photograph.





Cardigan :: River Island
Blouse :: Forever 21
Skirt :: Forever 21
Loafers :: Coach

Hair :: Twist Out (5 flat twists), Day 1

♡Koos

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Loving Curlformers

I've been using the "pineapple" method to preserve my Curlformer sets, and it's been working. Check out my Day 2 hair!



It's perfect! I kept the curls for daaaays and they still looked good. It was amazing! This week I've been wearing a flat twist out, and the pineapple method gets to me to Day 2, but that's about it. I usually have to pin up the style come Day 3. I'm going back to Curlformers this weekend just so I don't have to put my hands in my hair for a few days ^__^

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